Definitions

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun A social event with traditional Irish or Scottish music and dancing.

Etymologies

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From Irish céilí ("Irish dancing session"), from Scottish Gaelic ceilidh.

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Examples

  • But first I learned ceili dancing, which was popular around New York, at the Irish Arts Center in Manhattan, and eventually I got my certification to teach it, the 60-year-old said.

    The Green Hills of the Catskills Earle Hitchner 2011

  • It appears to be recorded at a sort of ceili put on by the KFOR troops.

    Three Cheers for Mrs Beamish John 2009

  • It appears to be recorded at a sort of ceili put on by the KFOR troops.

    Some Piping for the Weekend. . . . John 2009

  • My mother was a genteel, old-style set dancer who used to describe ceili dancing as 'all that hopping and jumping.'

    The Green Hills of the Catskills Earle Hitchner 2011

  • I am an Irish ceili/set dancer, and a MAID (Mother Irish (step)Dancer), who occasionally visits the popular Irish dance boards and is in search of a not too pricey solo dress for my child.

    HH Com 139 Miss Snark 2006

  • They already hosted a ceili, a traditional Irish dance.

    BusinessWeek.com -- Top News 2012

  • They already hosted a ceili, a traditional Irish dance.

    BusinessWeek.com -- Top News 2012

  • They already hosted a ceili, a traditional Irish dance.

    The Seattle Times 2012

  • Folk dancing Irish ceili, Deutsches Haus, 200 S. Galvez S.. Gathering for music and dance,

    New Orleans Saints Central 2010

  • Festival-goers can learn some of the Irish set dances or how to dance a ceili (Irish-style square dance) in the Crossroads Area, or they can try their hand at learning the Celtic harp in the Harp Tent.

    JSOnline.com 2010

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